Small Shipment Of ‘Ocarina Of Time 3D’ Planned For Retailers

What can be said about The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time? Initially released on the Nintendo 64, not only is it considered to be the best game in the Zelda library, which in and of itself is no small feat, but is considered by many to be one of the greatest games of all time. That’s certainly high praise, even if some would contest the claim. So it was no surprise that a remake of the game would be one of the earliest titles for Nintendo’s newest handheld, the 3DS. However, if you’re eager to get your hands on it, you’d best be ready for a big rush, as Nintendo is planning to send out a very small shipment at launch date.

According to Sinobi, retailers are expecting a rather small shipment of copies of Ocarina of Time 3D, though exactly how small the shipments will be is unknown. There aren’t any noticeable preferences for any retailers as they will all be receiving the same amount of copies, and retailers are forbidden to place orders on the game. In other words, if you really want to get a copy at launch, you’d be better off pre-ordering a copy.

The question is, why is Nintendo sending out so few copies? Well, the problem could be due to what happened with the last handheld Zelda title, Spirit Tracks. Apparently, large quantities of the title were found in bargain bins only a few months after the game’s release, which doesn’t say a lot of positive things about the game’s reception. It could be that Nintendo is trying to avoid the same situation with this game, hence the limited copies being sent out.

Granted, this thought process could stem from the belief that gamers have lost a bit of faith in the 3DS. Many consider the release of the system to be a bit rushed, and the initial problems with the system support that. Still, it’s highly unlikely one would find this in the bargain bins a few months after release. It is a remake of an incredibly popular game, with updated graphics and confirmed to have the Master Quest version available. There’s no doubt that it will sell.

Do you think Nintendo is making the right choice here? Is this enough to motivate you into pre-ordering a copy of the game?

The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time 3D is set for release June 19, 2011 for the Nintendo 3DS.